St James' Church, Stanstead Abbotts
Encyclopedia
St James' Church, Stanstead Abbotts, is a redundant
Anglican
church near the village of Stanstead Abbotts
, Hertfordshire
, England . It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
. The church is about 1 miles (1.6 km) to the southeast of the village on the north side of the B181 road. It stands on the top of a hill overlooking the Lea marshes.
The listing description by English Heritage states it is "of outstanding interest as a medieval church with an unrestored 18th-century interior". In the Buildings of England
series, the architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner
wrote "Inside there are few churches in the county which have so well preserved an 18th-century village character".
probably dates from the 12th century, and the chancel
from the following century. The tower and porch were built in the 15th century, and the northeast chapel was added in 1577. In 1881 a new church, dedicated
to Saint Andrew
, was built nearer to the village centre and this superseded St James'.
rubble
with stone dressings. There is brickwork in the northeast chapel and in the east wall of the chancel. Some Roman
tiles have been incorporated in the flint walls. The roofs are tiled, and the porch is timber-framed
. Its plan consists of a nave and chancel under one roof without any structural division, a northeast chapel, a south porch, and a west tower. The tower is in two stages with angle buttress
es at the west corners. At the southeast angle is a projecting octagonal stair turret
which rises higher than the tower. In the west wall is a doorway with a three-light window above it. There are two-light bell openings on each side. At the top of the tower is a battlement
ed parapet
and a small lead-covered spire. In the north wall of the nave is a blocked doorway, but no windows. The chapel has a small west door, two two-light windows in the north wall, and a three-light window on the east side. The east window of the chancel also has three lights. There are two two-light windows in the south wall of both the chancel and the nave. All the windows are Perpendicular in style. The south porch is gable
d with cusped bargeboard
s. The lower part of the sides is boarded, and the upper part is open. The south doorway dates from the 13th century.
ed. The tower arch dates from the early 15th century. The north arcade
has
four bays
carried on octagonal piers
. The circular font
dates from the 13th century, and is carried on a 15th century pedestal
. The 16th-century two-decker pulpit
stands on the south wall. On the east walls of the chapel are Royal arms
and commandment
boards. In the chancel is a 13th-century double piscina
. In the nave are three hatchment
s, a tortoise stove and box pew
s. Under the tower arch is a screen which has been made from the former canopy
of the pulpit. Part of the former rood
screen now forms part of a pew.
The north chapel contains a monument to Sir Edward Baesh
who died in 1587. It contains the effigies
of Sir Edward and his wife, both of whom are kneeling, and carvings of their children, also kneeling. Over the monument is a canopy with a round arch supported on classical
columns, with a cornice
with his arms
. In the north window of the chapel are fragments of stained glass, with parts of Sir Edward's arms, his motto, and other lettering. On the north and east walls are the remains of painted inscriptions. There are brasses
in the chancel and nave from the 15th and 16th centuries. Also in the church are wall monuments from the 19th century. The single-manual
organ was built in 1871 by Bevington and Sons. The ring
consists of three bells. The oldest two are dated 1605 and 1617, and were cast by Robert Oldfield. The other, by John Briant, dates from 1790.
, the other two in white marble
. It was possibly originally designed by Alfred Waterhouse
in 1881 for members of the Buxton family of Easneye. The Rowley Monument, dated 1746 is a limestone
tombchest to the memory of James Rowley. Another stone monument dates from the 19th century and is surrounded by traceried
cast iron
railings. The Hankin Monuments are two limestone tombchests; one dates from the 18th century and the other is dated 1809. The Clarke Monument is also a limestone tombchest; it is to the memory of Joseph Clarke and is dated 1725. Another monument consists of weathered
oak timbers dating from the 18th century, with an illegible inscription. The Allen Monument is another limestone tombchest; it is to the memory of William Allen and is dated 1827.
Redundant church
A redundant church is a church building that is no longer required for regular public worship. The phrase is particularly used to refer to former Anglican buildings in the United Kingdom, but may refer to any disused church building around the world...
Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
church near the village of Stanstead Abbotts
Stanstead Abbotts
Stanstead Abbotts is a village and civil parish in the district of East Hertfordshire, Hertfordshire, England. At the 2001 census the parish had a population of 1,983...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, England . It has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
Churches Conservation Trust
The Churches Conservation Trust, which was initially known as the Redundant Churches Fund, is a charity whose purpose is to protect historic churches at risk, those that have been made redundant by the Church of England. The Trust was established by the Pastoral Measure of 1968...
. The church is about 1 miles (1.6 km) to the southeast of the village on the north side of the B181 road. It stands on the top of a hill overlooking the Lea marshes.
The listing description by English Heritage states it is "of outstanding interest as a medieval church with an unrestored 18th-century interior". In the Buildings of England
Pevsner Architectural Guides
The Pevsner Architectural Guides are a series of guide books to the architecture of the British Isles. Begun in the 1940s by art historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner, the 46 volumes of the Buildings of England series were published between 1951 and 1975. The series was then extended to Scotland and...
series, the architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner
Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...
wrote "Inside there are few churches in the county which have so well preserved an 18th-century village character".
History
The naveNave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
probably dates from the 12th century, and the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
from the following century. The tower and porch were built in the 15th century, and the northeast chapel was added in 1577. In 1881 a new church, dedicated
Dedication
Dedication is the act of consecrating an altar, temple, church or other sacred building. It also refers to the inscription of books or other artifacts when these are specifically addressed or presented to a particular person. This practice, which once was used to gain the patronage and support of...
to Saint Andrew
Saint Andrew
Saint Andrew , called in the Orthodox tradition Prōtoklētos, or the First-called, is a Christian Apostle and the brother of Saint Peter. The name "Andrew" , like other Greek names, appears to have been common among the Jews from the 3rd or 2nd century BC. No Hebrew or Aramaic name is recorded for him...
, was built nearer to the village centre and this superseded St James'.
Exterior
The main building material used is flintFlint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
rubble
Rubble
Rubble is broken stone, of irregular size, shape and texture. This word is closely connected in derivation with "rubbish", which was formerly also applied to what we now call "rubble". Rubble naturally found in the soil is known also as brash...
with stone dressings. There is brickwork in the northeast chapel and in the east wall of the chancel. Some Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
tiles have been incorporated in the flint walls. The roofs are tiled, and the porch is timber-framed
Timber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
. Its plan consists of a nave and chancel under one roof without any structural division, a northeast chapel, a south porch, and a west tower. The tower is in two stages with angle buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es at the west corners. At the southeast angle is a projecting octagonal stair turret
Turret
In architecture, a turret is a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle. Turrets were used to provide a projecting defensive position allowing covering fire to the adjacent wall in the days of military fortification...
which rises higher than the tower. In the west wall is a doorway with a three-light window above it. There are two-light bell openings on each side. At the top of the tower is a battlement
Battlement
A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet , in which portions have been cut out at intervals to allow the discharge of arrows or other missiles. These cut-out portions form crenels...
ed parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
and a small lead-covered spire. In the north wall of the nave is a blocked doorway, but no windows. The chapel has a small west door, two two-light windows in the north wall, and a three-light window on the east side. The east window of the chancel also has three lights. There are two two-light windows in the south wall of both the chancel and the nave. All the windows are Perpendicular in style. The south porch is gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d with cusped bargeboard
Bargeboard
Bargeboard is a board fastened to the projecting gables of a roof to give them strength and to mask, hide and protect the otherwise exposed end of the horizontal timbers or purlins of the roof to which they were attached...
s. The lower part of the sides is boarded, and the upper part is open. The south doorway dates from the 13th century.
Interior
The interior of the church is whitewashWhitewash
Whitewash, or calcimine, kalsomine, calsomine, or lime paint is a very low-cost type of paint made from slaked lime and chalk . Various other additives are also used...
ed. The tower arch dates from the early 15th century. The north arcade
Arcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
has
four bays
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
carried on octagonal piers
Pier (architecture)
In architecture, a pier is an upright support for a superstructure, such as an arch or bridge. Sections of wall between openings function as piers. The simplest cross section of the pier is square, or rectangular, although other shapes are also common, such as the richly articulated piers of Donato...
. The circular font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
dates from the 13th century, and is carried on a 15th century pedestal
Pedestal
Pedestal is a term generally applied to the support of a statue or a vase....
. The 16th-century two-decker pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
stands on the south wall. On the east walls of the chapel are Royal arms
Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom
The Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom is the official coat of arms of the British monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II. These arms are used by the Queen in her official capacity as monarch of the United Kingdom, and are officially known as her Arms of Dominion...
and commandment
Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue , are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and most forms of Christianity. They include instructions to worship only God and to keep the Sabbath, and prohibitions against idolatry,...
boards. In the chancel is a 13th-century double piscina
Piscina
A piscina is a shallow basin placed near the altar of a church, used for washing the communion vessels. The sacrarium is the drain itself. Anglicans usually refer to the basin, calling it a piscina. Roman Catholics usually refer to the drain, and by extension, the basin, as the sacrarium...
. In the nave are three hatchment
Hatchment
A hatchment is a funeral demonstration of the lifetime "achievement" of the arms and any other honours displayed on a black lozenge-shaped frame which used to be suspended against the wall of a deceased person's house...
s, a tortoise stove and box pew
Box pew
Box pew is a type of church pew that is encased in panelling and was prevalent in England and other Protestant countries from the 16th to early 19th century.-History in England:...
s. Under the tower arch is a screen which has been made from the former canopy
Canopy (building)
A canopy is an overhead roof or else a structure over which a fabric or metal covering is attached, able to provide shade or shelter. A canopy can also be a tent, generally without a floor....
of the pulpit. Part of the former rood
Rood
A rood is a cross or crucifix, especially a large one in a church; a large sculpture or sometimes painting of the crucifixion of Jesus.Rood is an archaic word for pole, from Old English rōd "pole", specifically "cross", from Proto-Germanic *rodo, cognate to Old Saxon rōda, Old High German ruoda...
screen now forms part of a pew.
The north chapel contains a monument to Sir Edward Baesh
Edward Baeshe
Edward Baeshe or Bashe was an English naval administrator and politician.He was born the son of Richard Baeshe of Worcester.He worked under Thomas Cromwell, and in 1550 became surveyor-general of victuals for the navy...
who died in 1587. It contains the effigies
Effigy
An effigy is a representation of a person, especially in the form of sculpture or some other three-dimensional form.The term is usually associated with full-length figures of a deceased person depicted in stone or wood on church monuments. These most often lie supine with hands together in prayer,...
of Sir Edward and his wife, both of whom are kneeling, and carvings of their children, also kneeling. Over the monument is a canopy with a round arch supported on classical
Classical architecture
Classical architecture is a mode of architecture employing vocabulary derived in part from the Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, enriched by classicizing architectural practice in Europe since the Renaissance...
columns, with a cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
with his arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
. In the north window of the chapel are fragments of stained glass, with parts of Sir Edward's arms, his motto, and other lettering. On the north and east walls are the remains of painted inscriptions. There are brasses
Monumental brass
Monumental brass is a species of engraved sepulchral memorial which in the early part of the 13th century began to partially take the place of three-dimensional monuments and effigies carved in stone or wood...
in the chancel and nave from the 15th and 16th centuries. Also in the church are wall monuments from the 19th century. The single-manual
Manual (music)
A manual is a keyboard designed to be played with the hands on a pipe organ, harpsichord, clavichord, electronic organ, or synthesizer. The term "manual" is used with regard to any hand keyboard on these instruments to distinguish it from the pedalboard, which is a keyboard that the organist plays...
organ was built in 1871 by Bevington and Sons. The ring
Ring of bells
"Ring of bells" is a term most often applied to a set of bells hung in the English style, typically for change ringing...
consists of three bells. The oldest two are dated 1605 and 1617, and were cast by Robert Oldfield. The other, by John Briant, dates from 1790.
External features
In the churchyard are six monuments and a tomb, all of which are listed Grade II. The tomb has three monuments on its top, one in red graniteGranite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
, the other two in white marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
. It was possibly originally designed by Alfred Waterhouse
Alfred Waterhouse
Alfred Waterhouse was a British architect, particularly associated with the Victorian Gothic Revival architecture. He is perhaps best known for his design for the Natural History Museum in London, and Manchester Town Hall, although he also built a wide variety of other buildings throughout the...
in 1881 for members of the Buxton family of Easneye. The Rowley Monument, dated 1746 is a limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
tombchest to the memory of James Rowley. Another stone monument dates from the 19th century and is surrounded by traceried
Tracery
In architecture, Tracery is the stonework elements that support the glass in a Gothic window. The term probably derives from the 'tracing floors' on which the complex patterns of late Gothic windows were laid out.-Plate tracery:...
cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
railings. The Hankin Monuments are two limestone tombchests; one dates from the 18th century and the other is dated 1809. The Clarke Monument is also a limestone tombchest; it is to the memory of Joseph Clarke and is dated 1725. Another monument consists of weathered
Weathering
Weathering is the breaking down of rocks, soils and minerals as well as artificial materials through contact with the Earth's atmosphere, biota and waters...
oak timbers dating from the 18th century, with an illegible inscription. The Allen Monument is another limestone tombchest; it is to the memory of William Allen and is dated 1827.